Apparatus for introducing containers into cases



Feb. 4, 1969 a. s. HAGELINE ,4

APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING CONTAINERS INTO CASES Filed Aug. 23, 1966 Sheet 1 of 2 INVENTOR. Emil E. Hogeline Y APPARATUS FOR INTRODUCING CONTAINERS INTO CASES Filed Aug. 25, 1966 Feb. 4, 1969 v E. E. HAGELINE Sheet s 8 %M Y mmvrw Z 0" NW. N M E United States Patent 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A casing apparatus constituting an improvement on coowned Patents Nos. 3,047,990 and 3,190,052, the apparatus introducing milk cartons having upstanding ribs into open metal mesh cases through a gripping head sized to handle a plurality of cartons which are advanced and elevated by a carrier operated by air cylinders.

In the above-mentioned patents there is shown and described a gripping head for grasping the upstanding ribs referred to above. There is also described and shown conveying apparatus for aggregating the cartons into groups for this gripping operation. The gripping head serves to grasp a group of cartons (say, for example, nine cartons), and deposit the same into an open mesh metal case. It will 'be appreciated that the instant invention may be employed advantageously with a wide variety of containers and cases.

The instant invention improves upon the previously described means for aggregating the cartons and the provision of such apparatus constitutes an important object of the invention. More specifically, the apparatus for grouping the cartons, because of its novel structure, is operable during the time a preceding group is being cased whereby a substantial improvement in efliciency is achieved and the provision of such an apparatus constitutes another object of the invention. For example, use of a caser constructed according to the teachings of this invention. results in increases in production of the order of at least about twenty percent. Where, with the preceding apparatus, seven to eight cases could be packed per minute, it is now possible to go to ten or twelve cases per minute.

Other objects and advantages of the invention may be seen in the details of construction and operation set down in this specification.

The invention is explained in conjunction with an illustrative embodiment set forth in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of caser apparatus constructed according to the teachings of this invention, and wherein the view is taken from the entering end of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the apparatus seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view such as would be seen viewing from the left side of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is the opposite side elevational viewsuch as would be seen looking from the righthand side of FIG. 1.

In the illustration given and with particular reference to FIG. 1, the numeral designates generally a frame for the apparatus which is designated also in FIGS. 3 and 4. The frame supports a cross-slat conveyor 11, the upper run of which operates in essentially a horizontal plane. The conveyor 11 is operative to advance cartons serially to the right in FIG. 1 where they are engaged by a pusher mechanism generally designated 12. The pusher mechanism is seen to include a plate 13 attached to a cross bar 14, the cross bar 14 is secured to shafts 15 (see also FIGS. 2 and 3), which are secured to an air cylinder 3,425,186 Patented Feb. 4, 1969 designated 16. Thus, reciprocation of the air cylinder 16 moves the pusher 13 to shove a group of cartons (say three cartons), onto a platform 16a (see FIG. 1). After a given number of cartons are aggregated (say nine cartons resulting from three reciprocations of the pusher 13), the cartons are transferred laterally (perpendicular to the path of longitudinal travel of the conveyor 11) for gripping by a head generally designated 17 after which they are deposited into a case being conveyed by a lower horizontally-traveling conveyor generally designated 18. The sequence of moves generally parallels that referred to in the above-identified patents.

The instant invention is concerned particularly with the handling of the group of cartons after they have :been aggregated on the platform 16a. Reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 reveals that the platform 16a is made up of a plurality of laterally-extending stationary fingers 19 which are cantilever-mounted on the frame 10. The fingers 19 are spaced apart in the direction of travel of the conveyor 11 and interposed between the fingers 19 are movable fingers 20. The movable fingers 20 (see FIG. 2) are connected together by means of a suitable cross bar 21 which in turn is coupled to a horizontally-disposed air cylinder 22 (see also the bottom portion of FIG. 1). The connection between the cross bar 21 and the cylinder 22 is a vertically-elongated slot 22a so as to permit a vertical movement of the carrier defined by the cross bar 21 and movable fingers 20. The carrier which is generally designated 21a (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is further made of C- shaped slides 23 which are secured to the ends of the cross bar 21 and which slide on guide bars 24. The guide bars 24 in turn are eccentrically coupled as at 26a to cross shafts 25 and 26 which are suitably journaled in the frame 10.

In the general operation of the device thus described, and after a group of cartons have been aggregated on the platform 16a, an air cyclinder 27 (see FIGS. 2. and 3) is actuated to rotate the shaft 25 and, because of the cross bar linkage 28 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) to similarly rotate the cross shaft 26. This results in elevating the horizontal fingers 20 about one-half inch above the top surface of the stationary fingers 19. Thus, the group of cartons is now supported by means of the movable fingers 20. Thereafter, the cylinder 22 is actuated to move the carrier 21a toward the head 17 and this is achieved by sliding the C-shaped slides 23 along the vertically-positionable bars 24. As the carrier 21a reaches a point of location below the gripper head 17, a second air cylinder 29 (see FIG. 4) is actuated to eccentrically power the shaft 25 to raise it still further-about one inch so as to position the upstanding ribs of the cartons within the confronting gripping bars 30 of the head 17 (see FIG. 4), which are then closed to gripping condition. At this juncture, the table constituted by fingers 20 is lowered and retracted to its FIG. 1 condition.

Thereafter, the head is permitted to lower by gravity, pressure fluid being removed from the vertically extending cylinder 31 (see FIG. 1). The piston rod 31a of the cylinder 31 is extended from the cylinder 31 by the weight of the head 17 during its gravity descent until the head engages an air switch 32. The air switch 32, when actuated, causes the gripper head bars 30 to separate to deposit the aggregated cartons within a case on the conveyor 18. The switch 32 is interconnected with a case-sensing and stopping-switch mechanism 33 so that if no case is present on the conveyor '18, the contacting of the switch 32 via the head 17 is inoperative to open the bars 30 and thus the cartons will not be deposited in an improperly positioned case or on the conveyor in the event a case is not present.

Provision is made for retracting the piston rod 31a and thus the head 17 in the form of a second switch 34 mounted on the head 17. The cylinder 31 is a doubleacting cylinder and pressure fluid is admitted to the upper end at a fixed rate and bled from the lower portion correspondingly. Thus, the piston portion of the cylinder 31 serves as a brake for the lowering of the head 17. When, however, the head 17 bottoms, the piston rod 31a continues to extend until it actuates the switch 34 whereupon the fiow of pressure fluid into and out of the cylinder 31 is reversed and the head 17 is elevated. For this purpose, the head '17 is equipped with a horizontal bar 35 (see FIG. 1) which is equipped with an aperture for the receipt of the piston rod 3111. During lowering of the head, the piston rod 31a is pulled down by the bar 35 and during elevation of the head 17, the bar 35 serves as the portion of the head 17 against which the piston rod 31a operates to pull the head up.

After the cartons have been grasped by the head 17, the cylinders 27 and 29 are de-activated and the cylinder 22 is reversed so that the carrier 21a is lowered to a level below the top surface of the stationary fingers 19 and retracted to the position seen in FIG. 1.

For the purpose of initially elevating the fingers 20, an eccentric linkage is provided as at 36, (see FIG. 3). The linkage 36 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 25 and operates against a dog 37 which is fixed to the shaft 25. Thus upward arcuate movement of the linkage 36 (by virtue of activation of the cylinder 27) elevates the dog 37 and thus turns the shaft 25. By this arrangement, there is no fixed connection between the cylinder 27 and the shaft 25 and this permits a positive connection between the cylinder 29 and the shaft 25. In operation, the actuation of the cylinder 27 turns the shaft 25 a given amount and extends the piston rod 29a partially out of the cylinder 29. This is the initial raising of the fingers 20 so as to support the group of cartons independent of the stationary fingers 19. Thereafter, the further extension of the piston rod 29a results in the elevation of the cartons into gripping position by the bars 30.

A similar eccentric linkage to that seen at 38 (see FIG. 4) and used to interconnect the cylinder piston rod 29a with the shaft 25 is employed for coupling the shafts 25 and 26 with the carrier 21a-the carrier 21a in effect moving to a position such as that as designated 28a in dotted line relative to the linkage 28 in FIG. 4.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for inserting containers or the like into a case, a frame, a first conveyor on said frame adapted to advance containers serially along a horizontal path, pusher means on said frame mounted for movement over said path to sequentially push groups of containers laterally from said conveyor path, platform means on said frame mounted beside said path for receiving said groups of containers, at grasping head mounted on said frame above said platform means and on the side thereof 0pposite said conveyor path, and an improved mechanism for transferring containers from said platform means to said head comprising:

a carrier movably mounted on said frame, said carrier including a plurality of spaced-apart fingers elongated in the direction perpendicular to said conveyor path, said platform means being interrupted to pro vide spaced-apart stationary fingers positioned on said frame to permit said carrier fingers to move upwardly therebetween and thereby remove a 'group of containers from said stationary fingers, and means on said frame for moving said carrier laterally and horizontally and further elevating said carrier to place said containers in head-grasping position, said moving means including a first air cylinder means mounted on said frame, said first air cylinder means being disposed generally horizontally and being coupled to said carrier, said carrier being mounted on slide rail means to accommodate horizontal movement induced by said first air cylinder means, a pair of shafts rotatably mounted in said frame and eccentrically coupled with said rail means, and second air cylinder means for rotating said shafts to raise said carrier.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1958 Loveridge 53-61 9/1966 Winter et al. 5361 US. Cl. X.R. 5361 

